Devotional Songs

For what it is, it is well done, there is a radio channel here that plays this kind of thing a lot, this is better than most of what they play. Thankfully I couldn't understand the lyrics, otherwise they would probs do my head in by being all goddy.

a surprising jam. so melodically complex.

Best Song: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka. Don't ask me why. Worst Song: Mast Nazroon Se Allah Bachchae. Don't ask me why. Overall: Lively, joyous music that I can definitely imagine returning to. Being unable to understand the lyrics leads me to appreciate the rhythm of the language. Otherwise, I feel like I completely lack the vocabulary to properly evaluate/appreciate this music.

One of those things that I suppose I feel sort of unqualified to rate? If this kind of music isn’t part of your culture / socialization, I think it might be pretty hard to get into. It is good background music for reading? Yeah, why not. Do I understand the impact or influence of this at all? Absolutely not. Are the songs way too long and repetitive? Definitely. Uhh, I guess we’ll go with 3 stars then?

Lolololol imagine listening to this and thinking it's good. Ooooh I hope an album of Gregorian chants is up next. Get the fuck out of here with this bullshit. The only people that will like this are Punjabi (for obvious reasons, I mean no disrespect I promise) and white people who want to show everyone how open minded they like to pretend to be. No disrespect to the religious elements of this album or the people who believe in it, but I cannot stand this music.

Good music. Not my typical listen, but I enjoyed the album for it's soul singing.

very authentic

Quite inspirational music really. Its a culture shock yeah but what they do they do really well. I have no scale to measure how this compares to "lesser" sufi music so I have to be trusting !

4.2 - Such a triumphant voice that’s both powerful and gravelly. He chants so confidently up and down the scales. I love the hand clapping, the call-and-response. This is a very human, very uplifting sound that can’t help but buoy the spirit.

wtf

songs are way to long and repeititive. Quite a few enjoyable parts though.

It's fine but an hour and a half is a bit much

You can see why songwriters such as George Harrison and Jimmy Page were attracted to Near Eastern and Far Eastern music - a wealth of material from which to create music of their own.

I'm not an expert in this genre of music, but over the years I've been exposed to similar sounds and though it has meaning and purpose, I can't say I'm interested in hearing more. I have no idea what's going on and it seemed to go on far too long which really tests my patience and tolerance. Musically, it's skilled, world beat, folk, very ethnic with vocals that are used as another instrumental sound, so it's okay background music.

Not available

Different yet familiar, and I enjoyed it. Nice to listen to while I worked this morning. At times, the lead vocalist seemed to be yelling a bit but I get that was the intention.

Love that some non western music is on here. A bit long, especially for my european ears, but it's good.

Fun, lively. I'm not super informed about this genre, but I enjoyed it while it was on. The performances, especially vocally, are fun and engaging. Favorite tracks: "Haq Ali Ali Haq", "Yaad-e-Nabi Gulshan Mehka"

A delightful album with a very unique sound. Enjoyed this one thoroughly. I am uncertain about what distinguishes it within its genre, but only because of lack of experience and knowledge on my part.

My only exposure to NFAK was on the Natural Born Killers Soundtrack which I loved. I thought his inclusion in the film was instrumental in raising the creep factor of that film. If not for that exposure I think I would've just skipped over this and chalked it up to weird fanatical music not worthy of my time... That is to say that I liked this album, I had it playing for about 45 mins., before I had to get up and turn it off. NFAK is gifted, I love his voice and the energy he exudes. The music is strange, repetitive and intriguing and will definitely listen again. However, an hour-and-a-half is really too much NFAK in one sitting.

I was first introduced to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by Pearl Jam, actually. Khan partnered with Eddie Vedder for two songs on the “Dead Man Walking” soundtrack, including the amazing “Long Road.” That song was originally on Pearl Jam’s two-song EP “Merkin Ball” alongside “I Got Id” that came out of their work with Neil Young on “Mirror Ball.” That’s a fantastic and overlooked pair of songs that are among PJ’s best, but it’s also pretty cool the way they connect Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

From looking at the album list for this guy, he had a prolific career, but it’s not for me.

I don't mind world music, it can be nice and refreshing. At least to my western ears, every track on this album sounds basically the same, sometimes venturing in annoyance territory. I had to skip forward from time to time. 2/5

Un dels noms més reverenciats de la world music. Aquest és un dels treballs que va editar pel segell Real World de Peter Gabriel, i dels més reconeguts a occident. Música qawwali tradicional amb un component religiós força present. Si et trobes en el mood adequat, és gairebé màgic. La millor porta d'entrada a la música qawwali

Thats a 5

too much wailing

Pretty good, ended up liking it more than I thought I would

Didn't understand a word so can't comment on the lyrics but there is an energy, a liveliness, to the vocals and music that I enjoyed. Good beat, easy to dance to.

Too long and don’t quite like the voice. Well produced but that’s about it for me. I’d be curious how it does with other audiences

Wish there were more non-English/non-western albums on this list, always enjoy them when they pop up. The Spotify album the site links to is actually a double album which was probably a bit too much but enjoyed this one for being so different

A petite mini dose ca pourrait passer, mais 45 minutes. Ce n'est tellement pas mon style et aussi culturellement c'est plus difficille car on comprend pas trop le but ni le message. Je n'ai pas détesté mais ce n'est probablement pas un album qu'il faut avoir ecouté dans sa vie. Cet artiste a sortit pr`s de 50 albums. Est-ce que celui se démarque ? je pense qu'il ne se démarque probablement meme pas de ces albums a lui, encore moi de la musique traditionnelle indienne... 2

Not sure I listened to all the right songs but I think I got the gist. Probably really nice if you're into that allah stuff.

No problem with it at all, parts are very beautiful, but doesn't jump out.

Beautiful

just okay to me...

Got a headache about 25 minutes in. What a racket

Better than The White Album

This was a nice change of pace. The rich, full sounds matched the intensity of Khan nicely. It could be a bit repetitive at times but also somewhat meditative. I may have given this a higher rating if it wasn't so long. Although I will probably never listen to this album again, I am glad I listened to it today.

Very interesting, I love this music. Much of it sounds the same being I don’t speak the language but the music is beautiful.

Not for me

I don't know this style of music very well, so I don't know how it compares to similar music. I don't hate it, but the songs should have been a lot shorter. Favorite song: yaadan vichre sajan dian aiyan

I might enjoy this if I was in the right mood, but I wasn't really in the right mood today. 3 stars.

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

Wild and entertaining. 4 sitars.

good work list. this is something well outside the norm for what i listen to and this will remain outside the norm for what i listen to.

Devotional Schlongs

I love learning about other culture's music but this album's songs were all three minutes too long? I feel like this was an alright one to listen to but I wouldn't really listen again. Nothing was completely wrong with it it just is not up my alley.

ehh I feel bad not liking this because it's so outside my world and I love to get exposed to something new and different... ...but this is just not something I enjoy listening to. At all. Would be able to get through it much more easily if it were instrumental but there's something about this Eastern vocal style - the quick little inflections. ...I'll allow that it's tough to give this less than a 2 (given that this week I had to listen to the band Suicide so I'll pay some respect to tradition and talent) so I'll give it my ignorant grade and move on... 3/10 2 stars

Interessante muziek, niet verkeerd maar dit ga ik niet twee CDs lang luisteren 😂

Bro, palabra, chupate una pija, no enteindo un sorete y no puedo escuchar esto, NR.

I had no idea what was going on, but I could feel the intent of the songs and power of his singing.

This is really good. I can only compare it to Bollywood music, and I know it’s a little different, but I need something to orient myself to as I listened to this. I’m pretty sure when I saw AR Rahman in concert he performed some Sufi songs, probably some of these. That’s all I can say about it besides saying I liked it. Energetic, always driving forward. As long as music has a momentum, I can get behind it.

Not my thing but it was still interesting to hear.

Considering this is a genre I’ve never listened to before from a culture i have relatively limited exposure to, I got a lot from this. Beautiful music if you sit with it. I think I would listen to this again!

I was very devotional during this time

You're not exactly gonna put it on during your morning commute, but this album rips

Great big NOPE on this one.

It made me want to get up and shuffle with my fist on my forehead.

qawwali and response

Good background music but I simply lack the cultural exposure to appreciate it in what it fully is.

World music standard rating

I actually enjoy these little detours from music that was popular in the UK in 1982. I thought the book was going to have more of it - I didn't realise it was 99% known "classics", thought there would be lots of deeper cuts. This album overstayed its welcome but I really enjoyed the first song. Dude can really sing. It only had 1 speed and it got a bit old by the end. tbh I had always assumed Islam has some kind of stuffy ancient law against this sort of thing. (update: it does - this comes from India/Pakistan, while the purists in the middle east forbid musical instruments lol). Anyway, 3/5.

A very impressive 45 minutes of music with a voice that carries power as well as gentleness.

So why this album - of the possibly over 200 that Khan released? It's on a 'pukka' Western label, Real World, and has a western art director in charge of the sleeve. So I guess that. And that it's one of only four or so you can link to on wikipedia. My point being, and I enjoyed this album, is that is it better or worse than the other 200? I have no idea. And bluntly I'm not sure the compiler of this list really does too. Maybe he has a quawwali expert he can run this one past. But I've got no reason to believe it's not representative, and its a good listen, even if it's cultural value entirely goes above my head. let's finish with an anecdote: I attended an early WOMAD Festival in Essex in the mid-eighties and Nusrat was on the bill. We listened for an hour or so, then decamped to the main field to listen to New Order, who were great, then we came back and the man was still going strong. Respect.

This is super, super dope. Love the percussion. Makes me wanna spread my arms and paddle turn for my life. Whirling dervish! Gonna have to revisit this next time I'm playing a strategy game in this part of the world. Also I can't wrap my head around all the people in the reviews complaining about how they can't understand what he's saying. Bananas. Though I don't even really listen to lyrics until several times through even when it's in English. Just interesting (and a lil frustrating) to see the different ways people listen to music.

No no no. I need something way less pious than this today.

Cool to get something so different. I probably won’t revisit it, but it was a pleasant listen

De sfeer vind ik te gek, alsof ik aan de munt thee zit, gehuld in witte doeken in het midden van de sahara, maar doordat ik dit soort muziek niet goed genoeg ken, kan ik 't niet plaatsen en begint alles op elkaar te lijken.

Tja, dit is een lastige. Ik weet dat mijn all-time held Jeff Buckley enorm fan was van Nusrat. Dus met dat in het achterhoofd ben ik hier toch eens aan begonnen. En ja, het is vocaal gezien zeer interessant en knap gedaan. Maar na zo'n drie kwartier aan oosterse geluiden, was de koek toch wel op.

In the proper context, I’d guess that this is a great work of art. I don’t have the background to understand that context at this time, so purely as a listening experience for me, this was a 2.

Ummm

I loved it!! I haven't listened to Nusrat's work before specifically but I have been getting more and more into this style of classical South Asian music (I know that's an insanely huge/broad category) I love this style of singing and instrumentation I think it's highly skilled and impressive. I enjoy the sounds and I am going to add this into my rotation plus spend more time exploring his wider body of work.

I found this very interesting to read about and I think what is great about this challenge is to be exposed to popular music from different cultures, which is a completely different music style: in structure, language, chord structures, timbres, everything! So for my music education this was great. Was it my bag and would I listen again? Probably not. And no disrespect to Nusrat as he was a really big deal! He brought the Sufi style of music to the main stage internationally And literally he played at WOMAD and everyone loved it and it shot him and the style into notoriety. 1hr 30 mins felt like a lot but apparently that's was one of his talents - absolute stamina to keep going.

Interesting stuff here, was quite the jam.

better than radiohead

It's very difficult to find this. He appears to have recorded about eleventy million albums, a significant portion of them posthumously. Which is impressive indeed. What I've managed to find, I've enjoyed. So let's go for 4.

native indian songs I feel weird even giving a score 2.5

If I had to torture someone for exactly 1.5 hours I would simply play them this album.

The Spotify link actually leads to the double-release *Love Song* and *Devotional Songs*, called *Love & Devotion* for that reissue. But given Nustrat Fateh Ali Khan's protean discography, it's not a problem to spend a little more time with him anyway... I don't know much about the Qawwali school of music Khan was the grand master of, to be honest (I have another NFAK album at home, *Mustt Mustt*--one of his crossover collaborations with Michael Brook--but it's literally been *decades* since I listened to it). And obviously I can't understand the words Nusrat sang. Yet it's funny how "love songs" sounded like genuine "devotional songs" to me (and vice-versa). After I've listened to those two records, I've read some stuff online suggesting the two formats are actually deeply related to each other, so I wasn't that far off the mark, I guess. In a way, "love" and "devotion" are interchangeable here, even if the religious or romantic contexts behind them are not (and Khan would most certainly frown upon me for doing so). Oddly enough, I tend to prefer the instrumentation and harmonies displayed on *Love Songs*, even if critics more specialized and knowledgeable that I will ever be on the subject singled out *Devotional Songs* as the slightly superior album between the two. Whatever the case may be, it's a great experience to go through them one after the next... It's always odd to select a little bit of "global" music in a list clearly centered on the Western World. Maybe each continent could have its own 1001 albums list to enhance and praise different musical traditions from all around the world. I don't know if that's a good idea, but that could at least make up for the cultural bias of this particular list. No judging here, it's a bias that I personally share with Dimery and co., even if I know it's a flaw (admittedly an unavoidable one, wherever you come from). That being said, and to return to this particular double-release, I like this man's voice. And his music is rich, entrancing and far more varied in its harmonies (along with the different emotions it triggers) than the codified tradition it draws from lets on... 4/5. It's the sort of record that makes me eager to learn more, and there are not so many of them, are they? Since I've listened to that double-album, I've dug further, and found many gems by NFAK. Listening to them, I've come to realize that the lush orchestration and the edited versions of *Love And Devotion* have their charms and serve the songs right, but that some of the other live versions of those compositions out there are *way more* intense, just as they are longer and more adventurous. Feeling like I'm falling into a wonderful rabbit hole here. Thanks, Dimery and co. :) Number of albums left to review: 585 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 199 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 95 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 123

Album 13 of 1001 Nusrat Fatch Ali Khan & Party - Love & Devotion Favorite Track : Yeh Jo Halka Saroor Hae Rating : 2 / 5 First Impressions. How many possible positive experiences have been thwarted by acting on first impressions? I would guess many. Some personal, some professional, some musical. My first impression was that my next hour was going to be spent listening to chants. As I got back to my work and let this play, I found that it made for some very relaxing and positive background sounds. The music is Sufi devotional music known as Qawwali. It would certainly round out one's playlist. A little rock and little jazz, throw in some blues and a bit of Qawwali. It was fine, but not likely to make it into my daily listening.

The Pakistani Paul Simon

This went on for way too long

cool

Beautiful, I love sufi music and Nusrat is the king

It is Qawwali music. It was alright. I have no idea what they are saying. I wouldn't pick this album to listen to again but I tolerated better than others. I will round up.

OK, I know I've bitched about the anglocentricity of this whole project. So I shouldn't complain too much when they branch out to something different. But damn, this sucks.

Pros: I love hearing music from around the world. This was definitely something that I would have never discovered on my own. The music itself was pretty good and the chanting was oddly calming. Cons: I definitely won’t listen to this again as I am not the target audience. I understand the cultural and religious importance this music has for many people.

This album is not something I ever would have been exposed to save for this project. I don't know enough about this style of music to say much about it, but I did enjoy the gentle driving beats and Nusrat Feteh Ali Khan's voice, which I read had the ability to withstand hours of uninterrupted singing.

I nearly stopped this album after the first seconds. While I was always interested in music from middle and eastern Asia it's certainly something just for certain moments with our western ears. After a while it clicked. There is something uplifting in it that I can't put my finger to it. While this won't turn me to Islam I see the general appeal.

Beautiful, but requiring further study.

I have no idea what to say about this. It wasn't actively terrible, but it wasn't meaningful either.

Rating: 6/10

I enjoyed this way more than expected.

I enjoyed some of this album, it was just way too long

Demasiado étnico y arraigado a sus costumbres. Para muy fanáticos de este estilo de música. Personalmente, no me ha aportado nada (no digo que sea malo del todo)

Well I guess I did need to listen to this before I die as there was no chance I would have listened to this if it wasn’t for the list so props for that.

Nice vibe

Did not listen as I could not find

It's clear from reading the reviews on this site that a lot of people don't understand that "Devotional Songs" is Side B of what is now a double album. I can see how doubling the time you spend with this genre might wear on you, but as it is, it's an enjoyable enough experience. Best track: Yaad-E-Nabi Gulshan Mehka

Had no idea what to expect, but this was an excellent soundtrack for a day.

3/5. Quite good music, great rhythm and overall vibe. Don’t think I’d listen to it in my free time but it definitely was not bad.

As far as religious songs are concerned, this was not too bad. This may be partially influenced that since I do not speak the language of the singing, I could just vibe with the music and ignore any proseletyzing.

Man, that was rough. An hour and a half of repetitive chanting and wailing in a language I don't understand was... well, it was difficult to get through. I'm sure, if you're a Sufi adherent and can sing along, this is a jam. I am not and cannot. Ergo, this is not my jam. It was just kinda grueling.

Once you spend some time with it you see why it belongs on this list.

Jäi kesken kolmannen biisin kohdalla. Pitäis ehkä ymmärtää kieltä ettei kuulostai niin kauhealle ja ymmärtäisi jotain.

Call me unsophisticated, mut en taatusti kuuntele 1,5h tätä, heippa

Enjoyed this very much, especially the percussion. 3/5.

I'm having trouble rating this one as well because I'm just not very familiar with the genre. I was also having some trouble finding it on Apple Music (managed to find a playlist on YouTube but I'm not 100% sure it was the whole album). I definitely liked the sounds, especially the drums in a few of the songs. I'm giving it a 3/5 based on personal enjoyment but he seems like a very influential musician and I should probably do more research, lol.

Powerfully spiritual music performed by great musicians.

Yeah, I don't know how to approach this at all. This is so far outside my wheelhouse, I'm thinking about things and musically things sound very good, I especially like the sound of that really deep drum / percussion throughout. The vocals have a great rhythm, and they flow in and out of the music really well. No idea what's going on, though. An hour and a half is a long time. 3 / 5 stars.

Beautiful music but i don't think it's for me

I don't understand it but it is very pretty. Essentially it's like Islamic prayer I think, in which case they're miles ahead of Christianity's bland hymns!

Listen I'm sure people of the culture can appreciate and I can respect Nusrat's devotion to his music and you can hear it in some of the music, but I can't quite get into old Pakistani music. Not his fault, I'm just from the other side of the world. 4/10.

some of the music was cool but i didn’t love the voice and don’t speak the language so it didn’t do much for me

Not too devoted to it

Not my cup of very strong, sweet tea.

You know, I don't know what they are saying in this music, nor do I really have much of an idea of how to describe it. It's really cool, though, how music can be so unfamiliar in terms of its language, structure, and instruments, and yet be so accessible. It's just a great listen, and Khan has an incredible voice 4/5

I really loved this music and learning of the great esteem so many had for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, especially, but not only, in Pakistan. It's always a little humbling to realize there's so much I'm not even aware of in this world. Turns out I have listened to him performing a different recording of "Allah Hoo" on the soundtrack to "Monsoon Wedding," which I played quite a lot when it came out. There he was all this time, and me not aware of who this artist was. I do feel a certain joy and contemplation while listening, which I think just hints at what really lies behind his music.

This was something new and different. I was a bit concerned that it might grow a bit tiresome, but it definitely did not. Outstanding!

I don’t know enough about this kind of music to say anything informed or intelligent about it but I liked it and could use a bit more love and devotion in my world.

This was a little unexpected. While maybe not my usual fare and not likely to become a part of my daily routine, I’m glad to have something like this appear on the list. Really great!

Mjög áhugaverð plata. Kröftug og heillandi. Dýrka raddbeitinguna sem er í gangi þarna!

Nice to be exposed to it. Apparently it is called Qawwali . Very different than what I am used to, but at the same time, definitely not alien, there is a familiarity with it that transcends language. 3.5 but would give it 4 for the novelty.

It is nice to hear music from the other side of the World. This is definitely something I would have never even considered listening to without it showing up here. It is nothing I would choose to hear again though. I can appreciate it and its influence on other similar artists, but it is not an album or a style of music that fits into my personal music likings. 2/5

The title doesn't lie here. I can hear the devotion in Khan's voice, and it's a major reason why the music is as good as it is. This is a deeply passionate collection of songs that shouldn't be overlooked by any fan of world music. Ali Khan's voice is an emotional beckoning.